Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Race Car - 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Ready to rumble in the SCCA World Challenge: the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

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to unveil the dramatic new CTS-V Coupe race car that will compete in the SCCA World Challenge GT Series. This marks a return to the professional production-based series for Cadillac, which raced in the World Challenge from 2004 to 2007, winning GT championships in 2005 and 2007 with the CTS-V sedan.

Two Cadillac-supported teams will compete with the sleek new CTS-V Coupes in 2011, the cars built by Pratt & Miller, the New Hudson, Michigan-based engineering firm known for its expertise in building both the ultra-successful Corvette race cars and the previous Cadillac World challenge cars.

Although the production version of the CTS-V Coupe is a stout machine with a supercharged 556-bhp V-8 and huge Brembo brakes, some of the production CTS-V Coupe components are modified to meet the demands of racing or satisfy SCCA rules. Still, though, Cadillac says Pratt & Miller is making every effort to maintain as much production content as possible.

"Returning to racing in the SCCA World Challenge is a great way to demonstrate the performance and capability of the CTS-V Coupe," says Cadillac's Don Butler. "The race cars in this series are production-based, which allows us to validate our performance against the best of our competitors on the track, and not just the showroom."

Proven Drivers

Two drivers have been announced: Johnny O'Connell, a 3-time ALMS GT1 champion and longtime ace Corvette driver; plus Andy Pilgrim, who won the 2005 World Challenge GT championship in a Cadillac CTS-V sedan. Testing of the cars begins at Sebring in late January. For those who want to see these new CTS-V Coupes in action, the first race of the year takes place March 25-27 on the street course in St. Petersburg, Florida. With the races having a 50-minute time limit, lots of on-track excitement is almost a given.

"The SCCA World Challenge lends itself well to a natural transfer of knowledge," says Jim Campbell, GM's vice president for Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. "The series will become a key test bed for Cadillac. We anticipate using what we learn on the racetrack to ensure the V-Series stays on the cutting edge of performance."